


Love Is Love

by Pokemook530



Category: Original Work
Genre: Autism, Caretaking, Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:34:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28063260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pokemook530/pseuds/Pokemook530
Summary: Nathan Hunt is autistic, and his best friend and caretaker Dexter Collins is in love with him. Will Nathan reciprocate the feelings? Follow them throughout their lives, where they must deal with bullying, homophobia, and the everyday struggle of being a teenager.
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is what Nathan looks like
> 
> Link:https://64.media.tumblr.com/b2a70a2a5a3445e5820ea77111e75d69/tumblr_plg3ljvFmG1vh3ong_1280.
> 
> This is what Dexter looks like
> 
> Link:https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/3c87704b-8432-4f18-a0b3-9c5fab0a8ae4/de9qd3a-75d7ba94-c849-4b53-a84f-4e3d4094eae3.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3sicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvM2M4NzcwNGItODQzMi00ZjE4LWEwYjMtOWM1ZmFiMGE4YWU0XC9kZTlxZDNhLTc1ZDdiYTk0LWM4NDktNGI1My1hODRmLTRlM2Q0MDk0ZWFlMy5wbmcifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6ZmlsZS5kb3dubG9hZCJdfQ.Fm3HZyLLc9fujQUS7ainBJGTl0cD7cHh2GmxwNFi9Bw
> 
> both art belongs to their respective artist. Full credit goes to them.

Dexter Collins woke up startled as the alarm clock blared. Seven straight hours, he thought to himself. That's a new record. Nathan had had a tantrum the night before and it had taken Dexter, Amara, and Robert half an hour to get him to calm down. He quickly stopped the alarm and reset it again for six fifty-five AM the next morning.

Well, I better go get Nathan up before he has a fit for not following the schedule, he thought as he struggled to shrug into black skinny jeans in his half-asleep state. He put on a dark grey V-neck t-shirt, his dog tags, familiar bomber jacket, and charcoal converse, hopping to Nathan's room as he bent to put them on.

He quietly cracked open the door to Nathan's bedroom, revealing a pigsty of a room with a blue bed in the middle, which in turn housed a sleeping teenager buried under a dark blue duvet. Dexter crept to the side of the room and opened up the blinds, revealing the whole of the Upper East Side. He walked to the side of the bed and drew back the duvet, gently shaking Nathan to wake him up.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," he said to Nathan, who in turn cracked a brown eye open and quickly shut it due to the light. "Come on, Nathan, you need to follow the routine." At the mention of the word routine, Nathan finally opened his eyes and inched out of the covers.

"Come on, Nat, you've got school today." said Dexter. Nathan immediately put his hands to his ears and shook his head back and forth rapidly. Dexter grabbed his hands and lowered them, making Nathan look at him so he could understand what Dexter was saying. "Nathan, it's seven o seven, if you don't get dressed by seven fifteen, you'll be behind and we'll have to rush around to get ready. Now stand up, please."

He took Nathan's hands in his own and stood him up. "Take off your sweatpants." Nathan did as he was told and waited for Dexter to pick out his outfit. Dexter walked to the closet and opened it. He grabbed a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, along with a light green shirt and walked over to the bed Nathan was standing next to. But apparently, Nathan wanted to wear another shirt, because he slapped the green one out of Nico's hand and ran back to the closet.

Dexter went over and took Nathan by the shoulders, pulling him back from the hamper, where he had already found another shirt, a dirty dark blue one that smelled quite sour. He pried it out of Nathan's vise-like grip and put it back in the hamper. Nathan made a loud whine a protest and started to reach for the shirt again, but Dexter stopped him and said, "Nathan, that shirt needs to be washed. You've worn it twice this week already, and you need to wear a different shirt."

Nathan whined again and crumpled his face as if he was about to cry, and Dexter knew that he was about to have a tantrum. "Alright, Nathan, you don't need to cry, I'll wash it tomorrow along with your other clothes, so it can be clean and fresh, okay?" He smoothed down Nathan's hair, and it did the trick, calming him down so that Nico could dress him and get his backpack.

"Okay, Nat, it's time for breakfast, so get your routine binder and let's go." Nathan shuffled over to his bed where crouched down under the bed and produced a neon blue binder covered in Bubble Guppies stickers. He then went to his nightstand and shuffled through it, picking something up and hiding it in his hand. He walked back over to Dexter, who took his hand and led him through the narrow hallway to the kitchen, where Nathan's mom, Amara Jackson- Hunt, was standing at the stove making blue pancakes, and his step-dad, Robert Hunt, was sitting at the table reading the daily paper and drinking his daily "cup of joe," as he liked to call it.

"Good morning, you two!" Amara greeted the two as they walked into the kitchen, taking out two sets of plates, forks, and cups, and putting them on the table. "Morning, Nat, morning Dex," Robert playfully greeted them, ruffling Nathan's hair until he halfheartedly glared at him and eyed his hand violating his short undercut hair. Robert got the idea and removed his hand, grinning back at Dexter as he moved on to Nathan, enveloping him into a bear hug and rocking him back and forth until the kitchen was filled with the sounds of peals of laughter.

"Sit down and get ready to eat." Said Amara. "It's seven twenty eight. Nathan's show comes on in two minutes." The three sat down while Amara served them her famous blue pancakes. Before she sat down though, she turned on the T.V. just as the show 'Bubble Guppies' came on.

'Buh-, buh-, bubble, gup, gup, guppies!

Bubble, bubble, bubble, guppy, guppy, guppies…'

Nathan's eyes lit up and he started bouncing in his seat as the theme song played on. Dexter laughed at the sight of Nathan waving a fork with pancakes around. "Alright, Nat, eat so we can get to school on time. Where's your binder?" he asked.

Nathan produced the blue binder from under his chair. "Which day is it today?" Dexter asked. Nathan opened the binder to Wednesday, where it held his entire schedule for the day. He pointed to the little pictures as Dexter read out loud.

"Alright, so you woke up at seven, and you got dressed at seven-oh-five. We brushed your hair and washed your face at seven fifteen, so we were a little ahead of the schedule. Now that you've had breakfast and are watching your show, what comes next?"

Nathan pointed to a miniature picture of a toothbrush and toothpaste, running his hands through his hair as he did so. "Alright, let's hurry and do that before your bus comes." They both stood up and headed for the bathroom. Dexter grabbed a Superman lunchbox off of the counter and put it in Nathan's backpack by the door. Dexter walked in to find that Nathan had already wet up his green toothbrush and put Colgate on it. "Good job, Nathan," Dexter said, taking his hand. "Now smile really big for me." While Nathan grinned, Dexter lifted up their entwined hands and began to brush Nathan's teeth in a circular pattern.

"Now spit and rinse," Dexter said, handing Nathan a cup filled with water. When Dexter did this, Dexter grabbed a towel off the rack and dried Nathan's mouth. He then proceeded to brush his own teeth. Once everything was done, Dexter went back to his room and grabbed his book bag and wallet, closing the door on his way out.

"Let's go, Nathan," said Dexter, entwining their hands once again as they walked to the kitchen to get out the door. "Bye Amara! See you at five!" said Dexter as Nathan ran up to her to get a goodbye hug. Robert had already left for work by then. Dexter got Nathan's backpack and slid the straps over his shoulders.

"Behave, Nathan, and listen to Dexter! Love you two!" exclaimed Amara as they closed the door behind them. "Let's hurry and get to the bus stop. We can play the word game on the way there," said Dexter, as they walked to the elevator.

"What's this?" asked Dexter as he pointed to the door. "Door," said Nathan simply. "And this?" Dexter said as he pointed to the button. "Button." "Good words Nathan!" exclaimed Dexter as they walked in, Dexter pointing to various pictures on the tacked up bulletins while Nathan answered almost immediately. They kept playing the game all throughout the ride down, through the lobby, out the door and down the packed street, where a yellow school bus was just pulling up.

"Okay, Nat, are you going to be good in school today?" Dexter asked as they stopped in front of the bus. Nathan nodded. "Are you going to have tantrums?" Nathan shook his head. "Good, I want a sticker when you get off this bus today, got it?" Dexter asked, to which Nathan smiled and nodded his head.

Dexter smiled and leaned in for a hug, Nathan easily wrapping him up in a bear hug since he was a lot taller. Dexter pulled back and kissed him on the tip of his nose before walking him to the bus. But Nathan wouldn't go. "Nathan, what's wrong?" Dexter asked, before remembering. "Ah, your necklace, where is it?" Nathan pulled the dog tags which were identical to Dexter's out of his pocket and pushed it into his waiting hands, where Dexter fastened it around his neck.

They began walking to the bus again, Dexter giving Nathan one last kiss on the cheek before getting on while an aide stood aside smiling down at Dexter. "Have a good day, Dexter," she called. "You too, Ms. Chase." Dexter called back. The doors closed and the bus pulled away from the curb. Dexter waved to Nathan who was looking back at him, smiling. Once the bus turned into the street, Dexter and Nathan waved to each other until the bus drove around the corner, taking Nathan to The Gow School for the Physically and Mentally Challenged. Dexter turned away and began to walk to the bus stop that would drive him to his own school, McKinley High School, to begin the usual crap-filled day. I hope he does well today, Dexter thought as he absentmindedly tugged on his tags, boarding the bus to get to school.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey fairy! Watch where you're going, ya queer!" yelled the boy who Dexter had accidentally bumped into. He quickly ducked into his Spanish classroom where his best friend Anna was waiting before anything could get physical. He slid into a seat and groaned, wanting the day to be over already.

"What's up with you?"

Dexter looked up at Anna Chase, one of his best friends since childhood, whose face happened to be six inches away from his. He jerked up and almost out of his seat. "Whoa! Personal space please?" he exclaimed, putting his head into his arms and shrugging more into his jacket.

"Well, I'm sorry, Mister Sunshine," muttered Anna sarcastically, sitting back into her own seat next to him. "How's Nathan?" she asked. "His usual energetic self," Dexter answered back, sitting up and taking out his Spanish binder. "He had a tantrum last night and didn't get to bed until about eleven forty-five, so forgive me if I snap at you," he said.

"Eh, I'm used to it, now take out your homework, the teacher's coming in."

"Buenas tardes, clase, tomaís tus tarea y ponen es en mi escritorio," the teacher said, taking out a piece of chalk and writing down verbs for the class to conjugate. Dexter walked up and set his homework down; nearly tripping on a jock's outstretched foot. He scowled at the person, who was now snickering with his girlfriend. He trudged back to his seat and thought to himself, this is going to be a long fifty minutes.

Dexter sighed as he got off the bus and walked down the street to pick up Nathan. He could just barely see the small yellow bus coming around the corner. He hurried over to the usual bus stop and waited for the doors to open.

The doors opened and Nathan walked down the steps with Ms. Chase behind him, holding his backpack. "Hey, Nathan!" Dexter called, hugging him quickly and turning to get his backpack and lunchbox from Ms. Chase, who was smiling at the pair. "Thanks, Ms. Chase," he called, taking Nathan's hand and walking him back to their apartment.

"Did you get a sticker today?" Dexter asked, turning from the street into the apartment complex. Nathan nodded and lifted up his hand, revealing a light blue smiley-face on the back. "Good job," Dexter congratulated as he pressed the up button.

"Do you want to play the word game?" he asked as they both stepped in. Dexter stopped and seemed to think about it before letting out a small "yes." "Alright, tell me what this is," Dexter said, pointing to a small chair on an announcement for a lawn fête. "Is a… is a… lawwn chair," Nathan said, dragging out the 'W' so that his lips turned into a pout. "Good words, Nathan, now tell me what this is…" The game continued all the way to the apartment, where Dexter pulled a key from out of his pocket and unlocked the door.

"Alright, what do you want for snack?" Dexter asked as he went to the living room and unpacked his homework along with Nathan's. He came to the kitchen and immediately went to Nathan's side. He was wringing his hands, rocking back and forth, and whimpering. This was not good. Nathan was having a tantrum.


	3. Chapter 3

Crap, Dexter thought as he took Nathan's hand in his. I should've remembered that he's not good at making decisions. "Alright, Nathan, I'm sorry I asked you that," he said in a desperate attempt to calm Nathan down. He took his free hand and ran it through Nathan's hair. Nathan instantly stopped rocking and stood still with a blank expression on his face. That was quick, Dexter thought.

Dexter sighed and walked to the cupboard, grabbing a package of Oreos and taking up Nathan's hand again to lead him to the living room. He helped Nathan sit down and picked out three cookies for him.

"Okay, let's see your homework," Dexter said, as Nathan scarfed down his Oreos. He took two pages out of Nathan's Take Home folder and a blue pencil, and set them on the coffee table in front of them. He looked the two sheets and thought to himself, Math. Addition, subtraction. Easy. Reading comprehension too. Looks easy enough. If Nathan can concentrate enough, we might have them both done by the time Amara gets home.

"Are you done with your snack, Nat?" Dexter asked, as he took out some buttons to help with counting and packed up the rest of Nathan's belongings in his backpack. Nathan nodded absentmindedly and picked up the pencil. "Okay, we'll start with your math first. Half of these problems are addition, the other half are subtraction problems. Addition is a little bit easier though, so we'll start with those. Use the buttons to find out what three and four are equal to."

Nathan shifted through the buttons until he found all fifteen of the blue ones and lined them up in a perfectly straight row. He then proceeded to move them around until he had seven buttons separated from the rest of the pile. "Seven," he said, looking up at Dexter for confirmation. "Good job, and good words," Dexter said. "Now, write the answer down so we can move to this next problem…"

An hour and a half later, they finished. Nathan had had a little bit of trouble with the subtraction, but he'd pulled through. Robert was home by then; he was in the kitchen, making dinner. Dexter turned the TV onto SpongeBob for Nathan and went to put the work and buttons away, then packed up the Oreos and went to the kitchen cupboard to put them away.

"How was school today?" Robert asked, stirring something in a pan. "The usual," Dexter answered back, putting the cookies away and turning to face Robert. "Nathan had a tantrum when we got home, though. It was all my fault."

"Uh oh, what happened?" Robert turned around to face Dexter fully. "I asked him what he wanted for a snack; I'm such an idiot," Dexter replied.

"No, you're not. You just forgot. People have little lapses all the time," Robert said, turning back around a little to stir the steaming food.

"Yes, I suppose, but when I came into the kitchen and saw him like that, you know, all vulnerable and scared looking, it made me feel guilty, like, everything is always-"

At that moment, though, Nathan came into the kitchen, softly wringing his hands.

"Hey, you," Dexter said. "What happened to SpongeBob?"

Nathan looked down and said, "…mershal…" He looked up at Nathan and spread his arms slightly apart, hoping for a hug. Robert returned it, rubbing his hands on Nathan's back like any dad would. Dexter saw Nathan close his eyes and relax a little bit.

"I'm home!" came a voice from the doorway. Dexter walked over to find Amara kicking off her shoes and smoothing down her red-white and blue Sweet on America uniform. She still had a lot of money left over from selling her poker sculpture, and she still insisted on working at the Grand Central Station candy shoppe.

"Hey, Amara," Dexter greeted, giving her a hug and a small kiss on the cheek. "Hey Dex" she replied, giving him a hug and kiss and moving to Nathan, who had followed closely behind Dexter. "Something smells good," she said, coming into the kitchen to see Nanthan spooning a pan full of sautéed mushrooms and onions into a bowl next to a plate of chicken and rice. She gave him a kiss and smiled at him, looking much like she did twenty years ago.

"Nathan, let's wash your hands so we can have dinner," Dexter said, taking Nathan's hand and leading them to the bathroom. Once that was done the family sat down to a delicious dinner. While they ate, they told of their days at work and school, Nathan even joining in a few times with one-worded answers whenever he was asked a question. When everything was over and done with, Dexter and Nathan went to the bathroom to give Nathan his bath.


	4. Chapter 4

Bath time went horribly, as always. As soon as Nathan heard the word bath, he had started up a huge tantrum. It had taken Dexter and Robert twenty minutes to get him undressed, and another ten to get him to even touch the water. But by seven o' clock, Nathan stood in his room, freshly showered, lotioned, and powdered. His face was still a little bit pink from the screaming, but he was silent as a mouse now, and waiting for Dexter to come in so he could read him his favourite story, Hansel & Gretel. It was eight thirty, right on routine, when Dexter came in from his own shower.

"Hey, you've already got your story out," Dexter said, sitting on the bed and pulling the duvet back. Once Nathan had gotten in, Dexter pulled up the covers and tucked Nathan in, opening the storybook and beginning to read… "Once upon a time, there was a brother and a sister. Their names were Hansel and Gretel…" Dexter got up to the part before noticing that Nathan was asleep. He was slumped over on Dexter, little snores emitting from his mouth. Dexter smiled and gently eased out from under him, lying him down on his pillow. I'll check on him later, he thought to himself.

Half an hour later, Dexter crept in Nathan's room to find him still sleeping peacefully. He crept in and laid himself down gently next to Nathan's still form. He inattentively started to run his fingers through Nathan's hair, letting his mind wander…

Seven year old Dexter cowered behind his mother's tall legs. His mommy had brought him over for a playdate. He still didn't know who he was going to meet, but his mommy had said that she was friends with the boy's mommy since they were little girls. He thought that since the boy's mommy was so important to his own, then the boy would be important to him. For the occasion, he had brought over his best Lego building blocks and monster trucks in his bright blue backpack. He hoped that the boy would like them, too.

"Dexter, come along, we're going to meet Nathan." He may not respond to you, or want to play with your toys, but that's normal for him," said the boy- Nathan's- mom as she led him to the small living room. On the couch sat a boy who looked to be about nine or ten. He wasn't doing anything, just sitting there looking at the window. Dexter thought that was a little strange, but quickly dismissed it from his seven year old mind. He went and sat down next to Nathan. When he looked closely at him, Dexter saw that he had dark brown hair and pretty brown eyes.

"H-hi, Nathan. M-my name is D-Dexter." He cautiously stammered out. The bigger boy didn't say anything, he didn't even look in his direction. He slid to the ground, and shrugged off his backpack. He saw out of the corner that Nathan was looking at the backpack. He looked up at him and said, "Come over here. I've got some blocks and cars that we can play with." He said, unzipping the backpack and dumping everything out. The toys made a loud crashing noise as they bumped all against each other, and Nathan's hands sprang from his lap to his ears.

Dexter stared at Nathan, who was starting to rock back and forth. Maybe he didn't like the noise. He grabbed two blocks and came over to Nathan, sitting next to him softly so he wouldn't startle him. He reached out to touch Nathan, but the second their skin made even the slightest contact, Nathan shied away and scooted over to the edge of the couch. Dexter followed, and said quietly, "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to show you my cool building blocks. They're a whole bunch of different colors. I have red, yellow, green, and blue."

At the mention of the word 'blue,' Nathan slowly stopped rocking and put his hands in his lap. Dexter didn't know how he could hear him with his hands over his ears, but he went on the floor and came back up with three blue blocks and a blue truck. He put the blocks in Nathan's lap and he truck in between them. He carefully took Nathan's hand and put one of the blocks in it. His hand was really soft, and Dexter held on to it a little longer, before he let go and showed Nathan how the blocks worked.

"Here, see these little bumps here? They're what make the blocks stick together. You can build lots of stuff with them. Once, my mommy, sister and I even built a whole rocket!" Dexter prattled on excitedly. Nathan still didn't look at him, but he turned his head a little bit towards Dexter.

The two played for an hour more, Nathan taking lots of interest in the wheels of the monster truck. Unbeknownst to them, their mothers were watching them from the kitchen doorway. They slowly crept back to the kitchen.

"Nathan, you're my best friend," Dexter said, taking Nathan's hand in his and rubbing the back of it with his thumb, just like his mommy did it. Nathan Closed his hand around Dexter's, and slowly leaned on his shoulder. Dexter stayed very still for a long time. Looking down, he saw that Nathan had fallen fast asleep, Dexter's body making a very comfortable pillow for him. Their hands were still entwined, and Dexter felt sleep taking over him. He squeezed Nathan's hand and allowed the tendrils of sleep to pull him into darkness…

Dexter was shaken out of his sleep by Nathan shuffling over and throwing one arm around him. How long was I out? He thought to himself, slowly taking himself out from under Nathan's arm and replacing it with a teddy bear. He sighed softly and bent down to kiss Nathan's cheek. "I love you," he whispered, watching Nathan twitch in his sleep. He smiled and closed the door, going to his own room to get some more sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Dexter woke up to the shrill beeping of the alarm clock. Today was a staff and crew development day at Nathan's school; he had forgotten to tell him… Shoot. He got up from his bed and went to use the bathroom. After washing his hands and getting dressed in a black T-shirt and grey skinny jeans, he quietly crept into Nathan's room.

He knelt down by Nathan's bed, stroking his brown hair with one hand. Nathan shuffled around in his sleep, before opening his eyes a small sliver. "Good morning, you," Dexter said, bending down to give Nathan a small kiss on his forehead. Nathan sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Nathan, I've got to talk to you, so please listen very carefully.

"Today, your school is going to be closed," he explained, making sure to keep careful eye contact with Nathan, which, with Nathan being autistic, was not easy. "No one will be there except for a few of your teachers, okay?"

Nathan nodded, and Dexter continued, thankful that Nathan wasn't getting upset, or worse, having a tantrum, "But I do have school today, which means that I'm going to be gone for a few hours. Mom has a day off, so she's going to be staying with you, okay?"

Nathan stared ahead, Dexter let him sit for a little while and let it sink in. Dexter took his hand and started rubbing it with his thumb. "I'm really sorry, Nathan," Dexter said, "I know you're not used to it, but I'll ask mom if we can all go on the bus together." Nathan simply stared ahead and started snapping his fingers. Dexter sighed and stood up to pick out Nathan's outfit.

Once Nathan was dressed, (he still wanted to wear the blue shirt; Dexter would have to go to the laundry floor later,) they went to the kitchen to have breakfast. Nico took out some pancake mix and ingredients. Nathan was going to have his special blue pancakes, and since Amara was still asleep and Robert was getting ready for work, Dexter would have to try his hand at cooking.

The pancakes turned out to be quite edible. It seemed Nathan loved them, seeing as he had two plates while he was watching 'Bubble Guppies.'

"Good morning, you two," Amara said as she came into the kitchen, giving the two boys a kiss on the head. "Good morning" replied Dexter, while Nathan barely looked up from the television. "Amara, can I talk to you?" Dexter asked, standing up and getting his and Nathan's plates to put in the sink. "Sure, honey. What's up?" she said, fixing herself a plate of blue pancakes.

"Well, since Nathan doesn't have any school today, I was wondering if you and he could ride the bus to school with me." It'll be good for Nathan, since he doesn't really get out much. He could learn about the bus and a few new words, too."

"It sounds like a good idea," said Amara thoughtfully, "but I'm not sure if he could handle being in such a crowded and small place. He's never even been on a bus before, and he always follows his routine."

"Yes, I do know that, but I just want him to have a little bit of fun. Please?" Dexter put on his best pouty face. Amara sighed and threw her hands in the air. "Fine," she said. "But you're paying for the bus fare," she said jokingly.


	6. Chapter 6

Dexter boarded the bus with Nathan and Amara. He put the bus fare for the three of them into the small box by the driver and walked down the aisle to find three seats near the windows. Nathan loved to look at the passing scenery. He had been a little reluctant at first, but Dexter told him that it would be fun, and it was.

The three of them sat down and the bus took off. Nathan's eyes were as wide as saucers as he watched all the people walking by the bus. Many times during the ride he would tug on Dexter or Amara's arm and point at something passing by them, saying the words and grinning when the two of the congratulated him.

When Dexter got up to exit the bus was a different story. Nathan wanted to come with him, and since he couldn't, he'd burst into tears. A lot of people gave them odd looks, but Dexter just ignored them and managed to subdue Nathan right before the doors closed. He waved to Nathan and Amara before he entered the doors of McKinley High School.

He greeted Anna by her locker, making the weirdest face he could think of and stood by her locker door, waiting until she closed it. When she did, she took one look at him and walked away, smirking. "Nice try, Collins , but you can't scare me no matter what you do!" she called over her shoulder. He ran to catch up to her and laughed. "Yeah, I know, but it's still fun to try," He replied, walking to his locker to take out the books he needed for his first class, Algebra.

He walked into the classroom to sit down in his seat, and almost fell when one of the jocks pulled his chair out too far. Dexter glared at him and grabbed his chair, keeping one hand on it as he sat down. He sighed in exhaust; Algebra was the only class that he didn't share with Anna, and it was hell. A lot of students thought that Anna was scary, with her cold demeanor and grey eyes. When he was with her, everyone just ignored him. He wallowed in self pity until the teacher started class.

When Dexter came home from an extremely stressful day at school, and saw Nathan eating a snack at the kitchen table, his sucky mood instantly lifted. He dropped his bag at the door and went over to give Nathan a big hug. Nathan, as usual, did nothing but continue to eat his cookies. "How was your day?" Dexter asked. Nathan shrugged. "Oh, come on. Please tell me? What did you do with Mommy?" "Went to ice cream," Nathan replied. "And what flavor did you get?" Dexter asked. "Cookie," Nathan muttered, standing up and going to the Living room.

Dexter smiled and went to get Nathan's dirty napkin. He's going to get fat off of cookies, he thought to himself. He walked over to the living room to find that Nathan snuggled up with Amara watching Spongebob. He smiled and walked to his room to start on his homework.

The evening went like it usually did. They had Robert's famous spaghetti; Nathan made an adorable mess of himself trying to twirl the noodles onto his fork. Bath time was a complete disaster, and Dexter read Nathan his favourite book. Then, when Nathan was sleeping, Dexter came back into his room and laid on his bed. He started playing with Nathan's soft messy hair and got lost in his thoughts again.

Dexter shivered in the emergency room. He tried to wipe the snot off his face, but he couldn't even find the strength to lift his hand. He couldn't comprehend what had happened. He was in the car in the car driving home, with his mommy and sister, when there was a flash of headlights and a crunching sound of metal. His head hurt ,and he wanted to go home.

Dexter remembered that the other driver had been fine, save for a few cuts. He brushed away some tears forming in his eyes and curled up to Nathan's sleeping form, spooning him. He smelled the shampoo he had used on Nathan and relaxed, starting to daydream again.

He walked into his sister's room. He couldn't really see over the bed, but he could see that Bianca was connected a bunch of tube-y things and boxes. He wondered what they were for. "Your sister is sleeping now, don't disturb her," the doctor instructed. "If you need our help, press this red button on her bed. He nodded and looked at his sister. There were scratches and bruises on her face. Her eyes had tape over them, and she was really pale.

He reached out to touch her face, it was cold and clammy, not at all like the face he remembered. He held her hand until the nurses came and told he had a visitor. He took the hand of the nurse and went back out to the waiting room. He saw Amara Jackson waiting for him. She ran over and scooped him up in a huge hug, running her hands over his hair. He started to relax and melted into her embrace. She set him down and said, "I'm so glad you're okay, Dexter."

About twenty minutes later, he was getting into a rusty '78 Camaro and being driven to her house. She'd explained to him that his mom had put her as an emergency contact on his files, and that he was allowed to live with them for the time being. She drove home very carefully, so she wouldn't scare him. She said that Nathan was asleep now, and that his stepdad was home alone with him. She didn't trust him.

Once they got to the rundown complex, she hurried him inside and upstairs. She let him borrow some of Nathan's clothes and sleep on a pallet next to his bed. He snuggled down into the warmth of the blankets and Nathan's too-big T-shirt and fell fast asleep…

Dexter jerked awake. He looked down and saw that he was still in Nathan's bed. He slipped out of it and kissed Nathan goodnight, this time, it was a tiny peck on his lips. He slowly crept out of his room and went to his own to get more sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Dexter cracked open one eye to see a dirty shoe inches from his face. Rolling over onto his back, flattening several rumpled clothes and tangling his legs in his sheets, he yawned and stretched his arms over his head. Somehow, he had managed to fall asleep on his floor. What a great way to start the day, he said sarcastically in his head. Dexter groaned again and started to untangle himself from the sheets that had fallen with him. He grabbed some dark grey jeans and a red T-shirt and glanced briefly in the mirror at his reflection before going across to Nathan's room.

He opened the door and was pleasantly surprised to find Nathan sitting up in bed, staring at the window across the room. "Good morning, Nathan," Dexter said, coming over to give him a kiss on the temple. He helped Nathan get out of bed and went across the room to pick out some jeans and a blue jumper. Nathan silently raised his arms as the jumper slid over his head and mutely watched as Dexter slid a pair of green socks on his feet.

When he had gotten Nathan dressed, they went down the hall to have breakfast. Looking through the shelf of cereal Amara kept in her pantry, Dexter picked out Cinnamon Toast Crunch and a banana muffin for Nathan, before taking a bowl for himself too.

At exactly 7:35, Dexter put the bowls in the dishwasher and checked Nathan's bag to make sure he had everything. Lunch box? Check. Homework? Check. Binder? Check. Satisfied, Dexter called out to Nathan. "You ready to go Nathan?"

Dexter helped Nathan put on his backpack, before slinging his own over one shoulder. The two played their usual word game all the way to the bus stop. Ms. Chase was on time as usual, exactly 7:40. "Kay, Nathan. I want to see another sticker when you get home!" Nathan said giving Dexter a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Nathan smiled and bobbed his head as a way of saying yes, before walking up the steps and disappearing inside the bus.

"See you, Dexter!" called Ms. Chase before pulling out into the street again.

After getting Nathan on the bus, Dexter got on his own and quickly did some Spanish homework he had neglected to do the night before. Twenty minutes later, his bus pulled up to the school and Dexter clambered out just in time to hear the warning bell ring inside of the school. Jogging inside, he quickly found his locker and spun his lock a few times to open the door.

"Hey, you," Anna greeted, giving him a one armed hug.

"Hey," Dexter replied, "What's up?"

Anna shrugged, tucking a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear. "Nothing much, you?"

"Eh," replied Dexter, taking his book for his first class out of his locker. Then he was falling painfully against the edge of his locker door. "Hey!" He protested.

"What, ass?" swore someone behind him slamming him against the cool metal. The breath whooshed out of Dexter's lungs as he grasped the door for support.

"You ok?" asked a worried Anna, grabbing Dexter by his arms to hold him up.

Dexter managed to nod once before glanced around to see the jocks and cheerleaders strutting down the hallway shoving unfortunate souls against their lockers.

"What the heck is wrong with you people?" Anna yelled after them, still supporting Dexter as he gasped for air against his locker. The posse turned as one and stared at the couple.

"Oh, hey Anna, we didn't see you there," one of the guys, Luke, said with a sneer. "How are you doing?"

"Don't 'how are you doing' me!" she screeched, flashing her grey eyes on the whole lot and drawing a whole lot more attention.

"Oooh, feisty are ya? I like mine feisty..." said Luke looking Anna up and down.

Nico watched Anna's chest rise more rapidly and knew she was getting mad. She marched right up to Luke and gave him a glare that could vaporize him to ash. "F off, asshole," hissed Anna.

The jocks behind him muttered 'Oooh...' While the cheerleaders wrinkled their noses at her like she was the weekly trash, before settling into "mean girl" expressions that made them look like total hitches.

"Oh, What'cha gunna do about me, bitch?" threatened Luke, getting in her face.

"This," said Anna calmly before turning around. The jocks started to laugh, thinking she had backed down. But Anna whirled on her heel and punched Luke square in the nose.

"Ever seen Harry Potter?" Asked Anna, looking at the blood dripping from Luke probably broken nose as he glared at her. "Didn't think so, JOCK."

"C'mon, Dexter," She said. "We're going to be late for Spanish."

Dexter smiled at her, slinging an arm amiably over her shoulders as the two strolled placidly away.

"Oh my god, his face," laughed Nico. "That was priceless...I'm so happy I'm your friend. Hate to get on your bad side."

"I...know," wheezed Anna between laughs.

Then behind them came a stern voice. "Ms. Chase, Mr. di Angelo..."

'Oh shoot'...swore Nico in his mind as he and Anna turned to face their principal, Mr. Jones. I won't be able to pick Nathan up from his bus if I have detention...and if I don't pick him up...he's sure to have a huge tantrum...

"DETENTION. Three days starting 3:45 today." The principal said harshly before turning, leaving Anna and Dexter staring at each other.

"I'm truly and royally screwed." Cursed Dexter. And that was only putting it mildly.


	8. Chapter 8

Dexter walked into the classroom that he was supposed to serve his detention in. Anna was already there, one hand doodling on a piece of paper, the other flicking over the screen of her iPod under the desk. They smirked at each other when they made eye contact.

"Mr.Collins sit here," the proctor said, pointing to a desk across the room, the one farthest away from Anna. Dexter gave one last smirk at his friend before sitting in his seat. "Get some homework out, no talking, no listening to music, and no cell-phones." He lectured looking at Dexter. Behind him, Annastuck out her tongue and waved her iPod over her head. Dexter unsuccessfully tried to suppress a laugh. "No laughing." added the proctor sternly.

Dexter dug in his backpack for his recently assigned math homework his phone glinted at the bottom reminding him of his present predicament He'd called Robert during lunch, explaining to him what had happened before school started. Robert had been upset, both at Dexter and Anna and the people who were bothering him, but he'd understood, and agreed to take about an hour off work to pick up and watch Nathan, and to call him if Nathan was having a tantrum he couldn't handle.

Dexter sighed to himself. Nathan is not going to be happy…, he thought, looking down at the worksheet covered with meaningless numbers.

About halfway through his detention, Dexter's phone rang. Dexter trust his hand into his backpack knowing only one person would be calling him. The proctor shot him a look of death and started to reach his hand out to take the phone away, but Dexter scurried out of his seat, looking at the screen that currently blinked Robert Hunt.

"Sorry sir, family emergency." Dexter muttered. He turned, met Anna's worried eyes and mouthed Dexter, before running out of the classroom and into the empty hallway. He answered his call on the last ring and was greeted by a screaming Dexter and a frantic Robert.

"Dexter? When are you going to be home? Nathan's a little upset, he's been screaming your name for the last fifteen minutes," Robert said, sounding like he was at his wits end. Dexter listened with his eyes closed hearing Nathan's screams in the background. "DEXTER! WHERE DEXTER?! WANT DEXTER!"

"A little upset? He's having a full blown tantrum!" Dexter was pacing up and down the row of lockers now, one of his hands kneading at his hair, all the long mentally screaming at himself for being stupid enough to fall himself in detention.

"Well, I don't want to have to carry him to his room and leave him to calm down on his own, with him like this," Robert said, sounding more and more hysterical, "but all of the techniques that his therapist suggested-" The phone connection suddenly died, leaving Dexter quite confused and worried. Dexter stared blankly at the face of his phone for another five minutes waiting for it to ring again. When it didn't, he put it on his pocket and turned around.

With a sinking feeling of dread, he walked back to the detention room and trudged back to his seat, plugging his ears to the proctor's rant about how you were not supposed to just run off in the middle of detention, and how he shouldn't have gotten into a fight if he had had previous family obligations. Anna looked sympathetic and slightly guilty as the proctor proceeded to take Dexter's phone from his as it rang a second time. With a glare that could incinerate, the proctor took the battery out silencing the phone mid-ring and telling Dexter that he would need a parents' note if he wanted his phone back.

Dexter sat at his desk poking holes in his notebook, not even bothering to try to finish any of his homework and resisting the urge to run out of the room that moment. He finally snuck a look at the clock and breathed a sigh of relief. 4:58. Two more minutes until he could get out of here and home to Nathan. He shoved his stuff into his backpack and impatiently watched the red second hand circle slowly around the clock face.

Fifty-six.

Fifty-seven.

Fifty-eight.

Fifty-nine...

Exactly at five o'clock Dexter shot out of his seat and ran out of the room barely hearing the proctor oh-so-helpfully reminding him that he had detention the next day as well. Anna quickly swiped the stuff on her desk into her backpack and raced behind him to catch up with Dexter, trying to zipper her backpack up at the same time.

"What's wrong? Is something up with Nathan?" she panted, running up beside him and pushing open the doors of the school.

"Yes, he's having a tantrum and Robert can't calm him down," said Dexter shortly, slowing his pace as they reached the bus stop and bending over to catch his breath. Dexter looked up at her with worried eyes as their bus pulled up to the stop. "He's not used to me not being there to pick him up or me not being home. He's probably been screaming since he got off of his bus." Dexter said, still panting. He suddenly glared at Anna. "If he's hurt... This is your fault!" He screamed suddenly at her, his nerves fraying. "If you hadn't punched Luke I wouldn't have had detention and..." He trailed off as they got on the bus and paid their fares.

Dexter silently sat as close to the door as he possibly could and Anna plopped down beside him, chewing on her lower lip. "Dexter...I'm sorry for, you know, over reacting with Luke and everything. This is really my fault you know, I know that. You don't even deserve the detention you got!" She said looking out the window and not meting Dexter's eyes. "I-I-I can talk to Mr. Jones about revoking your detention and maybe doubling mine instead."

Dexter didn't reply. Instead he ignored her while twisting and fiddling with the straps of his backpack, a sure sign that he was extremely worried or anxious or both.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," said Anna quietly giving him a side hug.

Dexter shrugged her arm off roughly. "You don't know him." He said harshly.

"Maybe I don't but I know you enough to know that you need to calm down," reasoned Anna.

"Whatever..." muttered Dexter, making it clear he didn't want to talk. The two feel into an uneasy silence for the remainder of the ride.

When the bus came to his stop, Dexter jumped off the bus and ran down the block until he got to his door, Anna hot on his heels. He fumbled for his door keys to the apartment building and jammed them into the lock, cursing when he couldn't find the right one. Finally, after trying what felt like almost a million keys, Dexter found the right one and yanked open the door. He left the door open and his keys in the lock, instead charging down the hallway intent on reaching Nathan. He ran up the stairs, his mind apparently forgetting about the elevator in his panic. At the top of the staircase, he sprinted into the hall and the last thirty feet to his door, already hearing shrill screams echoing down the corridor.

He slammed open the oddly unlocked door and ran across the apartment to Nathan's room, throwing aside his backpack and tripping on clothes and fallen furniture on the way there. At Nathan's door, Dexter didn't even stop to take a calming breath before running in, and grabbing Nathan from Robert, who was currently on the floor unsuccessfully trying to calm Nathan down.

Nathan faltered his screeching at the new pair of hands that was handling him, and looked to see Dexter, still breathing heavily from his mile sprint from the bus stop and up the stairs. To everyone's surprise, he stopped crying altogether and gave a giant smile through his tears. Dexter did a mental double take as he looked at the boy in his arms. Even he hadn't expected it to be that easy. Nathan rocked back and forth in Dexter's arms humming calmly and then looked at Dexter right in the eyes and did something that rendered Dexter, Robert, and Anna completely wide-eyed shocked.

Nathan leaned up and kissed Dexter. Full on the lips


	9. Chapter 9

Dexter barely heard Robert and Anna gasp as their lips met. It was like being shocked with electricity, only a hundred times better, thought Dexter. Almost as soon as Nathan had touched his lips to Dexter's, Nathan leaned back from him, got up and rocked slowly side to side on his back. He sighed as his warmth left him.

Seconds passed...

Minutes...

Dexter just sat in shock at what had just happened; he was jerked out of his shock by Anna stuttering "What… what the hell just went on?"

Nathan must have decided that he was bored and went into the living room to watch the television, humming a tuneless song as he went. Robert, sensing the other two teens needed some time alone, went into the kitchen to start dinner and call Amara. He mumbled something, gently closing the door behind him.

Dexter slowly turned his head to meet Anna's eyes; he could see confusion and rage in them. "It was just a kiss..." he said lamely, dropping his gaze.

"JUST A KISS?!" Shrieked Anna.

"I… I don't know. He's never… He's never even done that before, I swear!" Dexter mumbled out.

"Where did he even learn that? The only shows he watches are SpongeBob and Bubble Guppies!" said Anna in a more quiet, but still angry tone.

Dexter stood up on shaky legs, "Are you trying to say that I taught him that? Anna, he barely even likes to give people hugs!" His voice rose slightly with every word, trying to reason in vain with her.

"I'm not trying to say anything! All I want to know is where he learned what kissing is! I mean, you are gay and all, and you've had a few exes. Maybe he was watching when you kissed one of them, I don't know!" Anna rambled, her voice also getting higher and louder.

"Anna, you know that when I kissed one of them then I'd make sure that he didn't see what we were doing. He's easily influenced. Why are you even so bothered by all of this? It was just an accident. Besides, Nathan wouldn't even connect kissing me with love or homosexuality. It was probably just a reflex." Dexter said in a more confused but still angry tone. Really...why was Anna making such a big deal about it?

Anna gave him a hard look with those gray eyes that would have terrified him had she not been his best friend.

"Fine," she spat, picking up her fallen backpack and throwing his forgotten keys at him. "I'm going home." She ran out of the room and out of the apartment before Dexter even had a chance to say anything else.

"Anna!" Dexter ran out into the corridor that he knew would be empty. "Wait!" He looked and just saw the briefest flash of blonde hair disappearing around the corner. He ran back into the apartment and grabbed the keys off the ground where Anna had thrown them.

Dexter was about to race out the door, but suddenly remembered Nathan. He quickly walked over to Nathan, who was mesmerized by the television showing SpongeBob and Patrick trying to teach Squidward how to jellyfish, even though he was in a full body cast.

"Nathan, I have to go back out again and find Annab. I'll be right back, I promise. I just have to see if she's okay." He said.

Nathan just continued to look at the TV, not giving any indication that he had heard what Dexter said. His face was still a medium shade of red from his tantrum.

Dexter sighed and stood up, giving Nathan a small kiss on his forehead before walking over to the kitchen and poking his head in. "Robert, you wouldn't mind watching Nathan for a few more minutes? Anna ran off and I have to find her and make sure she's okay." he asked quickly.

"Dexter, she's probably on the bus by now. And besides, Amara is going to be home in a few minutes and Nathan's still a bit shaken up from his ordeal. Do you really think-"

"Okay, thanks, bye!" Dexter said, running to the door and running out into the hallway, once again opting for the stairs as he sprinted down them two at a time, almost falling flat on his face when he missed one and tripped over one of the stairs. He sprinted to the door and almost ran straight into Amara, who was trying to unlock the apartment complex door with a big bag of groceries.

"Hey, Dexter!" Amara said cheerfully. "Care to help me with carrying some groceries?"

Dexter bent to catch some breath. "Have (huff) you seen (Hahh) Anna anywhere?" Dexter said, lungs burning from the run downstairs and legs numb from the sprint from the bus stop.

"Oh, yeah. She was running down the street to the bus stop. I said hi to her but I guess she didn't hear me with all of the hustle and bustle on the street. She looked kind of upset. Did you two have a fight?"

Dexter sighed, defeated. "I suppose you could say that. How far away from the bus stop were you two?"

"Well, I'd say about halfway, but she's probably there by now." Amafa said. She frowned when she saw the look on Dexter's face. "How about when we get upstairs we'll talk about whatever happened?" she suggested.

Dexter hesitated. He wanted to desperately talk to Anna, but common sense told him that she was most likely gone, and even if he did catch up to her, she would be unwilling to listen. I'll check her tomorrow at school, concluded Dexter reluctantly. Hopefully she'll be cooled down by then...I don't want to lose my best friend over...over this.

He walked over to Amara, taking two bags of groceries and walking over to the elevator. "Paul will probably tell you." Dexter let out a defeated sigh, punching the up button hard. "I-I-I just want to go to bed." He mumbled.

Amara sighed and followed Nico into the elevator. "Dexter, whatever happened, I'm sure things will turn out okay." She said trying to sound reassuring. Dexter just looked down remembering the anger he had seen in Anna's eyes, anger she reserved for her enemies, and willed the elevator to move faster. Therefore letting him avoid more questions he really didn't want to answer.

They walked out of the elevator after it had deposited them at their floor and opened the door to the apartment. "I'm home!" Amara said, walking to the kitchen and putting the bags on the counter. She was followed by Dexter, whose mood had noticeably soured compared to when he left the apartment. He dumped his bags unceremoniously on the counter. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Nathan walk into the kitchen and Amara gave him a hug.

"I don't feel so well. I think I'm going to rest for a while," Dexter said again, walking out of the kitchen towards his bedroom. He could hear Amara and Robert talking in hushed tones, he tried to block them out. Dexter didn't want to hear what they had to say about him. Behind him he heard shuffling footsteps who he guessed were Nathan's.

When he got to his door, Dexter turned around and looked at Nathan, who had followed him and was rocking back and forth ever so slightly on his feet. "Come on Nathan," Dexter said, smiling to himself and trying to banish Anna's angry face out of his mind as he took Nathan's hand and led him into the room to the bed.

Nathan flopped down on his bed, his eyes already closing. With a slight smile, Dexter lay down beside him and hugged Nathan in his arms until his breaths evened out, signaling that Nathan had fallen asleep.

Dexter laid his chin on top of Nathan's head, eyes wide open, staring aimlessly at the second hand ticking around his alarm clock.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Anna was mad at him.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Would she ever talk to him?

Tick...Tock...Tick...Tock...

He could feel his eyelids grow heavy as the red travelled circles around the face of the clock. Sighing, Dexter closed his eyes and started to daydream.


End file.
